Vijender, Sushil, Marykom awarded Khel Ratna

New Delhi: Olympics Bronze medalists boxer Vijender Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar, and Indian women boxer and four time world champion MC Marykom were awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna on Saturday at the national capital.

For the first time in the history of national sports awards, three sportspersons were individually bestowed India’s highest sporting honour, which comes with an enhanced cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh and a newly-designed statuette.

It was also a red letter day for 15 other sportspersons, who received the Arjuna award from President Pratibha Patil at the Ashok Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Prominent among them were cricketer Gautam Gambhir, world number seven badminton player Saina Nehwal, Asian chess champion Tania Sachdev and hockey player Ignace Tirkey.
Like the Khel Ratna winners, Arjuna awardees also got a newly-designed statuette, along with citations and an enhanced cash prize of Rs five lakh each.

For the first time in six years, a cricketer – Gambhir – was bestowed the Arjuna award. Since 2003, when off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was given the honour, no male cricketer had been included in the Arjuna awards list.

Gambhir is currently the world number one Test batsman in ICC rankings and has been consistently doing well as an opener.

Saina, on the other hand, has risen meteorically in the international circuit over the past couple of years winning two premier events. She also made it to quarterfinals in her Olympic debut in Beijing.

Saina’s mentor and former badminton player Pullela Gopichand, India’s assistant boxing coach at the Beijing Olympics Jaidev Bisht and Sushil’s coach Satpal Singh were among the four Dronacharya awardees.

They also received a statuette, citation and an enhanced cash prize of Rs five lakh.

“It’s the biggest moment of my career and I feel honoured,” said Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender, who will leave for the World Championships in Italy in the wee hours tomorrow morning.

“I am happy that wrestling has got recognition. It is a big achievement for me,” added Sushil, who also won a bronze medal, India’s first in 54 years, in Beijing.

“This is for my sons. They are my life. Had they been older, I would have brought them here,” the 27-year-old four-time world champion said.
The Sports Ministry also instituted a new award this year, ‘The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar’, which was shared by Tata Steel Limited and the Railways Sports Promotion Board in different categories.

After the furore caused by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh’s no-show at the Padma awards this years, the sports ministry had issued stern guidelines asking athletes to inform in advance if they were to remain absent.